The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has granted approval to the proposal put forth by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to allocate a distinct series of phone numbers to companies for service-related commercial calls, excluding promotional calls.
Serving the public
The aim is to enable subscribers to differentiate between authentic commercial calls and promotional ones, as the current problem arises from the rising prevalence of spam and fraudulent calls.
Subscribers often reject calls from their banks or product servicing companies, even if they are service-related or for assistance, due to this issue.
Separate number series based on requirement
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) will soon release guidelines for issuing a dedicated phone number series to principal entities such as banks, based on their requirements.
This new series will serve as an identifier and will be displayed on phone screens during incoming calls.
Presently, telemarketing companies are assigned the ‘140’ number series, but there is no differentiation made between firms providing services and those engaged in commercial purposes.
Time extension
In the meantime, TRAI has granted additional time to telecom operators for the implementation of its previous directives to prevent misuse of headers and message templates.
While no formal announcement has been made by the regulator, it is expected that achieving compliance will require a period of two to three weeks.
The process is ongoing, and the regulator will hold another meeting with telecom operators next week to assess the progress made so far.
Delayed compliance
In February, TRAI issued directives to telecom operators to block all unverified and unused headers and templates within 30 days and 60 days, respectively. The deadline for complying with these directions was set for April 16.
Nevertheless, banking and financial institutions, which are responsible for a significant portion of spam and fraudulent messages, have experienced delays in compliance due to business operations related to the closure of the fiscal year.
They have requested an extension until the end of April.
Telcos’ complaints
Telecom operators are responsible for the network, while promotional messages are sent by enterprises through telemarketers.
Telcos have informed TRAI that only a small percentage, around 7-8%, of principal entities have complied with the directions regarding the cleaning of headers, templates, and removal of unused templates.
Dealing with pesky calls has proven to be challenging due to the use of 10-digit numbers.
Vodafone Idea
Vodafone Idea has recently presented its regulatory sandbox, developed in collaboration with Tanla Platforms, to TRAI.
This system incorporates an algorithm that helps in blocking fraudulent or spam calls.
TRAI is expected to release a standardized process framework in the coming two weeks that will outline the regulations for all telecom operators based on the solution presented by Vodafone Idea and Tanla Platforms, with regards to blocking fraudulent or spam calls.
TRAI’S words
As per TRAI chairman PD Vaghela’s statement last month, telecom operators have the flexibility to implement their own sandbox based on the principles and guidelines suggested by TRAI, following the completion of the pilot project.
DND ineffective
A recent survey conducted by community social media platform LocalCircles reveals that nine out of ten subscribers complain about receiving pesky or unwanted calls for brand promotion or sales, despite registering for the Do Not Disturb (DND) service.
The report highlights that the Do Not Disturb (DND) service is rendered ineffective as unwanted calls originate from personal mobile numbers rather than landline or commercial numbers associated with a particular brand, thus circumventing the DND system.
